Talk:Big Bone Cave

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I've wikified the article and replaced the advertising with an entry under "further reading". --Mereda 10:51, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Following message copied from talk page:

I just made a few, necessary corrections to the "Big Bone Cave" listing.

The ground sloth bones from Big Bone Cave are Megalonyx jeffersoni. There were at least 3, possibly 4 individuals. See my new book on Big Bone Cave for further details.

Also, the reference to a "large animal about the size of a bear" is from the H. C. Mercer papers in 1897, not from the 1971 excavation. I know, because I made the 1971 excavation.

If you think any of my changes are in error, please email me and we will discuss them.

Larry E. Matthews, Professional Geologist

I'm certainly happy with the corrected facts - you're physically a lot closer, and an expert too! I've just added the ISBN for the book since that makes it most accessible worldwide. On style though, I'd suggest that you should think again about whether a Wikipedia article should directly tell readers where to buy a book.--Mereda 15:02, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

Now that a reference is included with the ISBN number can we remove the information regarding the web addresses for the book. Leeannedy 20:49, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

Giving location of where to order the Big Bone Cave book.

When the book was first published, it was only available from the National Speleological Society (NSS), so without some direction, I figured most people would have a hard time finding it, or even knowing that it existed, for that matter. Now that it is available from Amazon.com, I figure anybody can find it.

All proceeds go to the NSS (a non-profit organization), so I wasn't trying to make money off the link.

Larry E. Matthews Professional Geologist

The Map of Big Bone Cave

Big Bone Cave was mapped by members of the Nashville Grotto of the National Speleological Society, starting on June 4, 1969 and ending on October 8, 1977. The total surveyed length was 50,833 feet or 9.627 miles (15.5 kilometers). This map is copyright 1979 by R. L. Zawislak and J. L. Smyre and is not available to the general public.

For persons wishing to do a little library research, however, the "Final Report on the Survey and Assessment of the Prehistoric and Historic Archaeologicl Remains in Big Bone Cave, Van Buren County, Tennessee" by George M. Crothers (April, 1986) contains a copy of this map on page 23.

This book contains nine (9) other detailed maps of Big Bone Cave, in addition to the map mentioned above, that shows the entire cave.

Larry E. Matthews 17:56, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

New Book On Big Bone Cave

A new book on Big Bone Cave, titled "Big Bone and the Caves of Bone Cave Mountain" came out in 2007. This is referenced at the bottom of the article.

This book is a good match to go with my book, "Big Bone Cave", since my book primarily covers the history of the cave and the book by John L. Smyre and Ronald L. Zawislak primarily covers the exploration and mapping of the cave.

Unfortunately, this book is not for sale to the general public. The authors gave away free copies at the Tennessee Cave Survey's meeting in Fall, 2007. They placed an ad in the December, 2007 National Speleological Society News magazine offering free copies to NSS members until supplies ran out, with a limit of one (1) copy per household.

Larry E. Matthews 19:42, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

History

Perhaps the two sections that both start with "Due to the extremely dry nature..." should be merged somehow. Poineuler (talk) 13:06, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Good point. I will change that where it does not sound so repititious.

Larry E. Matthews (talk) 22:10, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

Big Bone Cave Is Open To The Public

The State seems to have loosened up recently in allowing people into the cave. You still have to be accompanied by a Park Ranger, which is good. This helps protect both you and the resources of the cave.

Tours are still limited both in frequency and in the number of people allowed on each tour. If you would like to visit Big Bone Cave, start by contacting the Park Rangers at nearby Rock Island State Park. Their telephone number is (931) 686-2471. You can also go to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation website for further information.

It is still not easy to get into Big Bone Cave, but at least now it is possible. Be persistent. It is State property and taxpayer's should have reasonable access to this incredible, historic cave. Remember, this is a WILD cave, so you must have a hard hat, sturdy shoes or boots, and be in good physical shape.

170.141.109.39 (talk) 21:12, 27 May 2009 (UTC)